Counting on a sophomore and freshman pitcher in a game with the outright league championship on the line is usually not the recipe for success.

But it didn’t matter for the Oaks Christian of Westlake Village baseball team Tuesday against St. Bonaventure of Ventura, as Blake Howell and Phil Bickford were more than up to the task in a 3-2 victory in eight innings.

The win not only gave the Lions (19-7, 11-0) their first league title since winning the Frontier League in 2006, but halted a six year reign for St.Bonaventure atop the Tri-Valley.

Howell went a strong six innings, limiting the Seraphs (16-13, 9-2) to only two runs on six hits, and Bickford, a freshman, threw two innings, including a perfect 1-2-3 eighth to seal the win.

“I was just trying to keep my fastball low and we have had a great season and just wanted to keep it going,” Howell said. “We all stuck together and had great chemistry.”

Oaks Christian trailed 2-1 in the fifth when Drew Hacker hit a grounder to second and Evan Ocello came around to score from second when Tim Bennett threw wildly trying to get Hacker at first.

The big blow for the Lions came in the top of the eighth when junior first baseman Trevor Gretzky hit the first pitch he saw from Josh Grejeda for a towering home run to right with one out, giving Oaks Christian the winning run.

“I saw the pitch and jumped on it,” Gretzky said. “It was a fastball low and in and I guess I got lucky.”

Bickford retired all six batters he faced and got out of a runners on second and third jam in the bottom of the seventh.

“The young guys really stepped up and did their part,” Oaks Christian coach Tim Penprase said. “Gretzky took it even further.

“We realized last year we could win league and worked hard to get it done. We didn’t want to let our seniors down.”

Evan Ocello and Sam Wales each had two singles for the Lions. Ocello scored twice and stole three bases.

St. Bonaventure had runners on in every inning except the sixth and eighth but couldn’t score after the first when Cody Kurz doubled in David Trejo and Jordan Farris.

Howell left a runner on third in the second inning, left the bases loaded in the third and runners on second and first in the fourth and fifth respectively.

“I just trusted my defense and Nate Palace made some big plays down at third base for me,” Howell said.